NEWS

The future looks bright for Hawaii. Not only because of their beautiful landscapes or their world-class surfing, but also because their polo community is growing stronger every year. This season, the Hawaii Polo Life (HPL) organization, led by native Hawaiian Chris Dawson, took a stand in Argentina, sponsoring Poroto and Mia Cambiaso as well as one of La Dolfina’s teams. However, Dawson’s ambition goes further than that, as his next step will be to establish a breeding organization in Argentina that will contribute to developing polo on the island.

Dawson is the President and Founder of the Hawaii International Polo Association (HIPA), which was established in 2013, and leads Hawaii Polo Life, which participated in the 16-goal Wellington Polo Tour (WPT) in Florida earlier this year, among other competitions.

Dawson was in Argentina during the Argentine Open with his girlfriend, Jessica, and members of the HPL team, including Tatu Gomez Romero, who has been playing in Hawaii for the last few years. During this time, their focus was to strengthen their relationship with La Dolfina and the Cambiaso family and plan how this relationship with the best polo organization in the world can help them grow polo in Hawaii.

What have you been doing in Argentina?
"I’m here for one reason. To support Adolfo, Poroto, Mia, and the Cambiaso family and to help him push his legacy forward for the next generations."

Have you been playing polo?
"Unfortunately, no. I broke my shoulder in Hawaii, so I wasn’t able to play. As soon as I arrived in Argentina, Adolfo asked me how my shoulder was and made me ride again."

How is the relationship between HPL and La Dolfina?
"There’s a fascinating story between Hawaii and La Dolfina. I want to talk about the past, the present, and the future. In the past, there’s a story most people don’t know. Our friendship with Argentina started 200 years ago with our very first king, King Kamehameha, who was the first sovereign to support Argentina’s independence. So the relationship exists before me or Adolfo, it goes back 200 years. For me, it is important to tell the friendship between Hawaii and Argentina.

The second thing is the present, right now. It’s all about Adolfo, Poroto, Pelon [Stirling] and Juan [Martin Nero]. It’s a magical moment for a young polo player like Poroto. Poroto is the future, and wherever he goes, we will see all the young children following him, including my son Kawailoa. I’m here to help tell the story, support the family, and push for the future."

What are your plans for HPL and La Dolfina for the future?
"I made an investment in La Dolfina. I bought a big barn. The idea is to start breeding horses. We will call it Cria Hawaii or Hawaii Cria. The [exceptional] horses will come to Palermo with Poroto, Adolfo, and Diego Cavanagh, and the others will go to Florida. When the horses age out or don’t make it to Florida, we will take them to Hawaii. So, Hawaii will continue to have good horses coming from La Dolfina.

Like most communities, it is a matter of horses and their quality. Hawaii is an island community, so it’s really a long way from Argentina. The first thing is to build an organization, then bring the horses, and then get more kids and players. Every year our goal is to get more people playing in Hawaii and also coming to Hawaii to play. The only thing about Hawaii is that we play polo and then go surfing, so that’s something unique!"